HISD officials say narrow bond win taught lesson

As both sides tensely watched the totals in a painfully close vote Tuesday night, opponents of the Houston school district’s $805 million bond proposal said they hoped school leaders learned a lesson about including the community in such decisions.

“We are going to engage the community more,” Saavedra said before the final totals were in. “We learn from all of our experiences. The most important lesson we learned today is that Houston believes in the education of its children.”

Saavedra said he plans to create a committee of residents, appointed by the nine board members, to help guide the district with future issues.

The bond plan, which polarized many in the district amid charges that black neighborhoods were being shortchanged, passed narrowly Tuesday in final, unofficial totals.